Deadly military transport plane crash in Myanmar

A navy ship found bodies and aircraft parts in the seas off Myanmar while searching Thursday morning for a military transport plane carrying 120 people, a spokesman said.

The Chinese-made Y-8 turboprop aircraft disappeared Wednesday afternoon about a half-hour after leaving Myeik, also known as Mergui, for Yangon on a route that would have taken it over the Andaman Sea. It was raining, but not heavily, at the time.

Nine naval ships, five army aircraft and three helicopters were searching for the plane Thursday morning, a military spokesman said.

Gen. Myat Min Oo said the ship found two life jackets, three bodies and a tire that was part of an aircraft wheel. The bodies were of a man, a woman and a child. The wreckage was found in the sea west of the town of Laung Lone.

The plane carried 106 passengers — mostly families of military personnel — and 14 crew members. Fifteen of the passengers were children. It is not unusual for such flights to carry civilians to offset transportation costs for military families stationed in the somewhat remote south. (AP)